Read All About It
by BeastsRose23
Summary: Hermione reflects on her life after the war. Inspired by the song "Read All About It, Pt. 3" by Emeli Sande.


**A/N**: This was inspired by the song of the same name by Emeli Sande. I suggest listening to it while reading.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything related to Harry Potter. JKR owns all.

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Hermione placed her things down on the table by the door as she walked into her flat. She had a pounding headache and was exhausted. The day had been frustrating to say the least.

The war had been over for nine months and the Wizarding community was still making the move from wartime into peace time, and what a move it was.

Kingsley Shacklebolt had been appointed interim Minister for Magic and then officially voted in not long after. Kingsley's main goal was to dispel the corruption in the Ministry and give everyone an equal opportunity for all positions. Apparently only Half-bloods and Purebloods made it far in the Ministry. Most Muggleborns were stuck in secretary and clerk jobs. To prove how serious he was he hired Hermione and a number of other qualified Muggleborns for high positions. Hermione was now Head of the Department of Internal Affairs. It was her job to review all current employees. If they had ever shown even the slightest bit of corruption they were gone and someone new was hired. Hermione also served as one of the few advisors to the Minister. Kingsley trusted few and asked advice from even fewer. She was flattered Kingsley found her worthy for the latter group.

As the months wore on Hermione found that her job wasn't as easy as it seemed. The Ministry had thousands of employees, not to mention the members of the Wizengamot. It was a slow and tedious process. There were employee files to go through, meetings that lasted for hours on end, and Pureblood sympathizers who thought if they paid her enough money she would allow them to keep their positions. Like that was going to happen.

As Hermione made her way into the living room she flicked her wrist and the fire sprang to life warming the room instantly. It was late fall and with winter fast approaching the temperature continued to drop. As she settled on her sofa in front of the fire her house elf Trippy popped in with a warm cup of tea.

"Thanks Trippy," Hermione said with a smile.

"You is welcome, Mistress," the happy elf replied before popping back to the kitchen.

Hermione smiled fondly at the spot her elf was seconds before. She had been so against the ownership of elves but once she talked to a few she had seen that they need to be bound to keep their magic and their life. Trippy was a wonderful elf that she had bonded with after the war. The happy elf refused pay but gladly took days off every so often. Hermione had compromised and told the elf that she could keep any money left from buying the necessary groceries and house hold products each week. The elf agreed and Hermione purposefully gave the elf more money than necessary.

As Hermione sipped her tea she thought back on her day. Draco Malfoy, or _Lord_ Malfoy as he was now called, had visited her office again in an attempt to secure the position of advisor to the Minister that his father had once occupied. She was having none of it. He was lucky he still had his family seat in the Wizengamot, better yet, he was lucky he wasn't in Azkaban with his father for his role in the war. The git still frustrated her to no end, just as he did in school, only now she wasn't allow to hex him.

Hermione sighed as her gazed drifted to the pictures on the fireplace mantle. There was one of her parents and another of the Weasley's and Harry. Her thoughts turned melancholy as she thought of her parents. The memory charm she placed on the was permanent. There was no way to reverse it. Hermione missed them terribly but she would rather have the safe in Australia without her than to have had them tortured by Death Eaters. After the final battle she had wanted to find them to see how they had adjusted to Australia but she decided against it. Seeing and not talking to them would have been too painful. She didn't want to through that, so she stayed in England and helped with clean up and reconstruction.

Her gaze turned to the second picture. It saddened her to think about the boys. The three of them weren't as close as they had been in school. In fact, they hardly saw each other aside from the monthly dinners at the Burrow with the entire family and certain members of the Order. Hermione saw Harry more than the others as he worked at the Ministry as Head of the Auror Department and another of Kingsley's advisors. Ron, however, joined his favorite quidditch team as keeper and traveled constantly. She missed them terribly.

They had tried staying in contact after the war. They had lunches and dinners together when they could but those times became fewer and fewer as time went on and their careers took off. Part of that was her fault. She had been so caught up in the reconstruction of the Ministry and changing the Wizarding World for the better that she neglected them and missed their lunches together.

Though her social life had suffered greatly, she _had_ made changes. There were constantly articles in _The Daily Profit _and _The Quibbler_ about how the Ministry was changing. Harry had been the beacon of light during the war and she was now the beacon of change post-war. That had earned her more fame than she wanted. Being Harry's best friend and part of the famed "Golden Trio" earned her celebrity status but her efforts in the Ministry only added to it. She couldn't walk down Diagon Alley without being stopped. How she missed being anonymous, but her anonymity was a price she was willing to pay if it made changes. It was worth it.

Hermione sat her now empty mug on the side table and gazed at the fire. Her exhaustion was catching up with her. She knew she should get to bed or risk falling asleep on the sofa, but she was so comfortable. Besides, what did it hurt to sleep on the sofa? It's not like it wasn't comfortable. As she drifted off to sleep she decided that she'd contact Harry and Ron tomorrow and see if they wanted to meet for lunch and catch up. Though she was helping to change the world, she missed doing it with her best friends. It was time for the world to see them together again, making changes and creating chaos. Just like old times.

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**A/N**: So it doesn't follow the song exactly but it's what came while I typed and listened to the song. Let me know what you think.

By the way, for those who care, I'm working on a Twilight/HP crossover. It's been awhile since I've written anything and this is my way of getting back into it. I'm hoping to have something up soon, but I'm not promising.


End file.
